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Hagrid: "Jus' busy, yeh know, usual stuff lessons ter prepare - couple o' salamanders got scale rot - an' I'm on probation."
Ron: "You're on probation? Sorry - I mean - you're on probation?"
Hagrid: "Yeah. S'no more'n I expected, ter tell yeh the truth. Yeh migh' not've picked up on it, bu' that inspection didn' go too well, yeh know…"
— Exchange between Hagrid and Ron[src]

Probation,[1] also known as a probationary period,[2] was a status that teachers at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry could be placed under by certain high-ranking facilitators at the school, and during which their progress and skills as educators were evaluated so as to determine their suitability for the role as a member of the teaching staff. This was done either for the purposes of appraisal,[2] or as a disciplinary action.[3]

In the case of the former, new additions to the faculty were expected to pass a probationary period before their employment became official.[2] In the latter, however, a teacher might be put on probation if they failed to meet certain standards or did something they were not supposed to, in which case the staff member in question would be monitored more closely to evaluate their future performances, with possible dismissal if their teaching standards did not improve.[1] The right to put a professor on probation were usually reserved for the Headmaster or Headmistress of the day, although during the 1995–1996 school year, this power was also given to the Hogwarts High Inquisitor by the British Ministry of Magic.[4][5]

During his time as Headmaster, Armando Dippet placed Care of Magical Creatures Professor Silvanus Kettleburn on sixty-two periods of probation, though he never found cause to dismiss him.[3] Kettleburn continued to serve the school under Albus Dumbledore until his retirement in 1993.[4]

Disciplinary[]

"Under the terms of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts has the power to inspect, place upon probation and sack any teacher she - that is to say, I - feel is not performing to the standards required by the Ministry of Magic."
— Dolores Umbridge[src]
High Inquisitor

Umbridge with her clipboard in her role as High Inquisitor

As part of her role as Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Dolores Umbridge was granted the power to inspect teachers, with the supposed purpose of eventually removing those not found to be up to the educational standards set by the Ministry of Magic. In actuality, this was an excuse to harass teachers found to be loyal to Albus Dumbledore.[5]

Upon inspecting a teacher, Umbridge could choose to place that teacher on probation, a power she used to great effect.[5] She first placed Sybill Trelawney on probation and began inspecting all future lessons of hers, in which Umbridge heavily harassed Trelawney with difficult questions and peer pressure, causing the latter to falter more and more,[1] eventually dismissing her from her teaching post.[6] Rubeus Hagrid was also placed under probation,[7] and like Trelawney, he was faltering from Umbridge's presence,[8] though he escaped from Hogwarts and went into hiding, rather than allowing himself to be formally dismissed.[9] Severus Snape, too, was briefly placed on probation after he stated to Umbridge that it would take a month for him to procure Veritaserum in order for her pursue her goal of interrogating Harry Potter; Snape took this with little concern, and simply left the room apathetically.[10] This period of probation lasted less than a day, however, as Umbridge was soon removed from her post as Hogwarts High Inquisitor and Headmistress once Dumbledore returned to the school.[11]

Contradicting to the purpose of a probation, which is to give incentive to the teacher to improve themselves, Umbridge abused her position to further weaken Trelawney and Hagrid's performances under her supervision, as Harry correctly suspected that she was trying to achieve a sacking soon. Indeed, Umbridge's constant harassment of those two teachers made them increasingly falter,[5][1][8] giving her a closer reason to dismiss them.[6][9]

Trial period[]

"Professor MacGillony, I regret to inform you that your probationary period has ended."
— Headmistress McGonagall sacking a teacher on probation[src]

Elspeth MacGillony was required to undergo a probationary period during the 2010–2011 school year after Headmistress Minerva McGonagall permitted her to return to the school as a substitute teacher in Study of Ancient Runes while her full-time counterpart, Professor Clodagh Dromgoole, was on leave. After it was discovered that MacGillony had been using the Imperius Curse on several of the students in order to retrieve a sunken treasure from the Great Lake, the Headmistress immediately terminated her employment and apprehended her.[2]

Known teachers placed on probation[]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 17 (Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Tales of Beedle the Bard, "The Fountain of Fair Fortune"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 5 (The Dementor)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 15 (The Hogwarts High Inquisitor)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 26 (Seen and Unforeseen)
  7. 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 25 (The Beetle at Bay)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 21 (The Eye of the Snake)
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 31 (O.W.L.s)
  10. 10.0 10.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 32 (Out of the Fire)
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 38 (The Second War Begins)
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